Whittier Fault

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Whittier Fault is a geologic fault that is a branch of the Elsinore Fault Zone in Southern California.

The Whittier Fault is a 40 kilometer (24 mile) right-lateral strike-slip fault that runs from Chino Hills, California to Whittier, California. The fault has a slip rate of between 2.5 and 3.0 millimeters/year (0.09 - 0.11 in/yr). It is estimated that this fault could generate a quake of MW6.0 - 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale.

In 1987, the Whittier Narrows earthquake sequence occurred with two large earthquakes, a 5.9 and a 5.3, happening within 3 days. No surface rupture happened during the quake but there has been surface rupture on this fault within the last 10,000 years. The fault caused US$350 million in damages.

[edit] References